Knitwear Design Semester 7

Hoysala Soapstone
Sculpture
Intellectual Property Rights

Meetika Jadwani
11/9/2012

Page |2

Introduction to Indian Sculpture

Carving through India carving has been a predominant form of expression art, aiding in the
depiction of mythological characters and events in places of worship. The first known sculpture in
the Indian subcontinent is from the Indus Valley civilization (33001700 BC), found in sites at
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa in modern-day Pakistan. These include the famous small bronze female
dancer. However such
figures in bronze and
stone are rare and
greatly outnumbered by
pottery figurines and
stone seals, often of
animals or deities very
finely depicted. After the
collapse of the Indus
Valley civilization there is
little record of sculpture
until the Buddhist era,
apart from a hoard of
copper figures of
(somewhat
controversially) c. 1500
BCE from Daimabad.
Thus the great tradition
of Indian monumental
sculpture in stone
appears to begin
relatively late, with the
reign of Asoka from 270
to 232 BCE, and the
Pillars of Ashoka he
erected around India,
carrying his edicts and
topped by famous
sculptures of animals, mostly lions, of which six survive. Large amounts of figurative sculpture,
mostly in relief, survive from Early Buddhist pilgrimage stupas, above all Sanchi; these probably
developed out of a tradition using wood that also embraced Hinduism.

Page |3

Soapstone as a Medium
Throughout the world, artists have made sculptures from a variety of mediums. One such
medium is the metamorphic rock known as soapstone. Soapstone is considered an ideal artistic
medium for its softness, largely due to its composition of the mineral talc.
A soapstone sculpture typically resembles a marble ceramic. Its lines are normally very smooth, with
rounded corners. Artists use mallets, rasps, saws, chisels, and rattail files to create soapstone
sculptures. These creations may also be sanded with sandpaper and treated with oil for a shiny
finish.
Green soapstone is a popular choice of medium in creating a soapstone sculpture. Small sculptures,
particularly of animals such as elephants, owls, and bears, as well as people and gods, are often
made of green soapstone. It is also used in creating soapstone burners. Black soapstone is another
popular choice, and is often used in creating sculptures such as chess pieces. Soapstone can also be
pink, white, and other colors.
Some very famous soapstone sculptures can be found all over the world. The giant Rio de Janeiro
statue, "Christ the Redeemer," is made out of soapstone and concrete. The Hoysala Empire temples
of India are made of soapstone, as are many Native American relics, Inuit carvings, Chinese seals,
and Egyptian amulets.
Also known as steatite or soaprock, soapstone has a variety of names across the globe. A rock used
in soapstone sculpture for thousands of years, it is also known as kisii stone, combarbalite stone,
palewa stone, and gorara stone. People in Kenya, Chile, India and many other countries use the
metamorphic rock to create various works of soapstone sculpture to sell to tourists or to export to
other nations.
Talc makes up most of soapstone's chemical composition. Talc is so soft that it causes soapstone to
have a hardness rating of one, compared with a diamond's rating of 10. Talc is composed of oxygen,
silicon dioxide, water, magnesium oxide, magnesium, and silicon.
Soapstone also contains chlorite, the amphiboles tremolite, magnesiocummingtonite, anthophyllite,
and other oxides. Soapstone is also abundant in magnesium. It is known as soapstone because of its
slippery feel. Its size can vary, and its density is similar to porcelain. Other rocks with a similar
composition to soapstone are used to make soapstone sculptures include teatite, pyrophyllite, and
breunerite.
The uses of the rock are not limited to soapstone sculpture. It has been used in making beads, pipes,
and many other materials, as well as a cast for pewter and silver creations. Soapstone is also used in
many modern creations, such as counter tops, cookware, and gravestones.

Page |4

Hoysala Empire
Hoysala Empire was a prominent South Indian Kannadiga empire that ruled most of the
modern day state of Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas
was initially located at Belur but was later moved to Halebidu.
The Hoysala rulers were originally from Malnad Karnataka, an elevated region in the Western Ghats
range. In the 12th century, taking advantage of the internecine warfare between the then ruling
Western Chalukyas and Kalachuri kingdoms, they annexed areas of present day Karnataka and the
fertile areas north of the Kaveri River delta in present day Tamil Nadu. By the 13th century, they
governed most of present-day Karnataka, minor parts of Tamil Nadu and parts of western Andhra
Pradesh in Deccan India.
The Hoysala era was an important period in the development of art, architecture, and religion in
South India. Hoysala sculpture reached its pinnacle in the thirteenth century when it dominated the
southern Deccan art style. Many large and small temples built during this era represents the
architectural and sculptural characteristics,
including the Chennakesava Temple at Belur,
the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and
the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. Other
examples of fine Hoysala craftmanship are
the temples at Belavadi, Amrithapura,
Hosaholalu and Nuggehalli. Study of these
temples has revealed Indo-Aryan influence of
them but most predominant impact is of
Southern Indian styles.
The frequent temple building practice of the
Hoysala Empire represents the strong influence of social, cultural and political events of that period.
The stylistic art of Karnataka temple building tradition also reflects religious trends, among which
most popular schools were Vaishnava and Virashaiva. The growing military prowess of the Hoysala
kings compelled them to patronize temple building as they wanted to surpass the artistic
achievement of neighbouring Chalukya rulars.The temples built before hoysala independence in the
mid-twelfth century exposes significant Western Chalukya influence while temple built in the later
phase though retain some of the salient features of Chalukyan art but also adds up some inventive
decoration and ornamentation and other features unique to Hoysala artisans. About one hundred
examples of Hoysala art have been survived in present day Karnataka state, which are mostly
situated in the hilly Malnad district, the native home of Hoysala kings.
These temples as a form of hoysala art not only is a popular tourist destination in Karnataka, but also
offer the art students and researchers an excellent opportunity to examine medieval Hindu
architecture in the ancient Dravidian style. The tradition began on the seventh century under the
disdain of Chalukya dynasty of Badami which flourished further under the Western Chalukyas of
Basavakalyan in the eleventh century. Finally the art reached its zenith and transformed into

Page |5
independent style by the twelfth century during the reign of Hoysalas.In the temples there are
medieval Kannada language inscriptions which give details of the temples and provide valuable
information about the history of hoysala dynasty. Some famous structures of Hoysala art areBELUR : This is situated forty kilometers away from Hasan on the bank of the river Yagachi and was
the capital of Hoysalas about eight hundred years ago. Many temples and monuments are present in
Belur which are the mute witnesses of ancient Hoysala sculpture and architecture.
VEERANARAYANA TEMPLE : This is located west to the Chenakesava temple on the bank of the river
Yagachi and houses some finely sculptured figures of various Hindu gods.
THE CHENAKESAVA TEMPLE : This temple stands in the courtyard of Belur and is dedicated to Lord
Krishna.This temple was built by the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana in 117 AD and took a century to
complete. This supreme architectural beauty is one of the earliest of its type.
The temple built on a star-shaped platform has three doorways and figures of `Madanikas`, which
are the masterpieces of Hoysala craftsmanship. The salient features of the temples are subtle
carvings on stone walls and the gravity
pillars in the courtyard. The interior of
the temple is decorated more richly
than the outside, which contains many
exquisite panels and intricately
ornamented pillars. The magnificent
sculptures of the temple give a vivid
picture. The line of six hundred and
fifty elephants carved in different
figures surround the base. The young
musicians and dancers are inlaid on
either side of the main door on a
screen. The hand-lathe-turned pillars are ornamented by superb carving.
HALEBID : The Halebid was the wealthy capital city of Hoysala empire earlier known as
Dwarasamudra, situated thirty nine kilometers from Hasan. The Hoysaleswara temple at Halebid is a
remarkable example of Hoysala architecture. The temple was built in 1121 AD and it was the largest
of the Hoysala temples. The walls of the Hoysaleswara temple are covered with detailed relief and
sculptures depicting scenes narrated in Hindu epics.

The armies of Delhi sultanate destroyed the temple in 1311 and 1327. It was deserted after its attack
and later it was renamed as Halebid or Old capital. Fortunately the great Hoysalesvara temple
escaped from the Muslim attack. Skilled hands, giving importance to even the minutest details, have
carved the sculptures. The temple also contains two massive Monolithic bulls.
The archeological museum located on the Hoysaleswara temple premises contains many sculptures
from twelfth to thirteen century, woodcarvings, idols, coins and inscriptions. There is a twelfth
century Jain Bastis in a garden enclosure situated one kilometer south of Halebid, which have

Page |6
glimming blackstone pillars and carved ceilings.
HOYSALESVARA TEMPLE : This temple is set in the lawns and has two shrines, among which one is
dedicated to Santeleswara and other is to Shiva. A nandi bull is placed in front of the shrine. The
sculptures inside the temple shows the highest skill of its artisans depicting the various scenes from
Ramayana, Mahabharata and old epics like Krishna lifting mount Govardhana, Rama defeating the
demon king Ravana. There were 84 female figures in the temple, among which 70 were stolen and
the remaining 14 figures are still present in the temple.
SRAVANABELAGOLA : The place is one of the most sacred place to Jain pilgrims, wedged between
two rocky hills-Indragiri and Chandragiri. The colossal statue of Jain saint Gommateshvara, standing
atop the Indragiri hills is famous for its huge structure of 17 meters and said to be the tallest and
most graceful monolithic statues in the world.
BHANDARI BASTI : This is a spacious sanctuary which houses twenty four statues of Jain
Tirthankaras.

Page |7

Hassan District:
Modern Hoysala Empire

Hassan is a district in Karnataka state, India. The district headquarters are Hassan. Hassan district
was the seat of the Hoysala Empire which at its peak ruled large parts of south India from Belur as its
early capital and Halebidu as its later capital during the period 1000 - 1334 CE. Today Hassan is
primarily known worldwide for its Hoysala architecture and is a veritable treasure trove of about
fifty sculptural marvels tucked away in several villages and towns of the district.

Geographics
Lying between 12 13 and 13 33 North latitudes and 75 33 and 7638 East longitude, Hassan
district has a total area of 6826.15 km. It is divided into 8 taluks, 38 hoblies & 2369 villages. The
geography is mixed with the malnad or mountainous region to the west and south west called Bisle
Ghat and the maidan or planis regions in the north, south and east. There are some areas of
degraded forest ranges in central portion of the district.
The general level of Hassan district is it slopes with the course of Hemavathi river from the western
ghat ranges towards the bed of Cauvery river near Hampapura in the south east. Its chief tributary is
Yagachi from Belur taluq which joins it near Gorur. Hemavathi passes through Holenarsipur taluq in a
southerly direction and joins with Cauvery river near Hampapura close to the border of Hassan
district. Hassan and Belur stands around 3,084 and 3,150 feet (960 m) above the sea level
respectively.

Page |8
The district is surrounded by Chikmagalur District to the north west, Chitradurga District to the
north, Tumkur District to the east, Mandya District to the south east, Mysore to the south, Kodagu
District to the south west and Dakshina Kannada district to the west.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census Hassan district has a population of 1,776,221, roughly equal to the
nation of The Gambia or the US state of Nebraska. This gives it a ranking of 270th in India (out of a
total of 640). The district has a population density of 261 inhabitants per square kilometre
(680 /sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 3.17%. Hassan has a sex
ratio of 1005 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 75.89%.
Kannada is spoken by a vast majority of the people in the district.

Page |9

The Carving & Artisans

The art of stone carving in Karnataka has been
a tradition through centuries. One such
example is the soapstone carving of Hoysala,
an art so unique and well mastered over
hundreds of years that an expert of this field
can Identify the type of stone just by the
sound they emit when struck. The art is so
revered, that the artisans religiously follow
the norms dictated by the Dhyanashlokas
while creating the sculpture. At acquisition,
the artisan designates a stone as male or
female and respectively assign carvings of
gods and goddesses respectively. Neutral
stones are used for other objects such as
trinkets.
The following steps are generally followed today by the soapstone artisans:

After determining the tenor of the stone, an object is allotted to and a slab of stone is cut
out in proportion to the product intended.
A sketch, detailed with size, proportion and line density is prepared, this can be life-like of
the product and may be used as a stencil.
With tools such as steel rods, mallets, chisels and files, the crude stone gradually achieves its
form.
The finished sculpture is then left to harden slightly over few days and then is smoothened
with sandpaper.
After the smoothening is complete, a more intricate buffering is done on the sculpture and
left to harden further.
Finally, if there are no more corrections, cleaning or changes in the sculpture, it is rubbed
with coconut oil, so the surface absorbs the slick finish and smoothens like marble.

The artisans of the Hassan district have taken to carving marble and wood along with soapstone
carving as commissions for marble temples and wooden panels for homes are an additional income,
apart from the gods and goddesses they construct. Income in the field is slightly slow since its
products are limited to temple carvings or trinkets, which mostly attract tourists and not locals. Since
sandalwood is also grown within the Hassan district, artisans learn to work with sandalwood and
create sculptures that are exported and are known to be the Karnataka speciality.
Product
The indigenous product of this art are images of gods and goddesses that are more often than not
commissioned for temples and other such religious gathering places, however, with soapstone being
a light, convenient yet traditional material, altars are often commissioned for homes, offices etc with
a wide range of gods and goddesses, carved either individually of within the altar itself. Other
products are usually trinkets, toys, display pieces or mortars and pestles. Other items are lamps,
jewellery boxes, candle stands, candle lamps, vases, pots, containers and ring boxes.

P a g e | 10
The speciality of the products of Hoysala
soapstone carving, apart from the heritage
of Karnataka and the image of gods and
goddesses passed down from generations
through south India, are the porous nature
of the trinkets, jars, lamps and boxes. Each
item is created with the intention of letting
light pass through and creating speckles of
shadows all through the surface of where
the object is placed, no matter what the
object actually is.

Conclusion
The Hoysala Soapstone sculpture is an art handed down from generations, whos style and imaging
have been influenced by the Hoysala Empire, and its religious implications. Today, thought the art is
used to create more modern products, the basic traditional integrity of the sculpture design is not
amiss. And still, the old method of creating sculpture, curing the stones and even the reverence
placed in the stone is not lost. The art form is one handed down from generation to generation,
along with the experiences, methodology and practice, which has become indigenous to the locale.
Deserving of a Geographical Indication, Hoysala Soapstone Sculpture is another handicraft Karnataka
has to offer.

P a g e | 11

References
www.internationalassociationofwomensculptors.com/soapstone-through-theages/&docid=CKCX4fO_So0ncM&imgurl=http://www.internationalassociationofwomensculptors.co
m/wpcontent/uploads/2010/04/india.jpg&w=600&h=775&ei=OO2cUJr6DsitrAeFmoCQDQ&zoom=1
&iact=rc&dur=4&sig=117388905896616697742&page=2&tbnh=157&tbnw=123&start=12&ndsp=20
&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:111&tx=69&ty=34
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_district
http://www.indianetzone.com/sculpture/
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-soapstone-sculpture.htm